Palagruža – a stone ship in the middle of the Adriatic

Offshore islands have always been my passion. I like places that few people choose to visit. Palagruža is one of those. I called it a stone ship in the middle of the Adriatic.

Palagruža can be reached from Lastovo or Komiža. Lastovo is 59 kilometers away, and Komiža is 74 kilometers away, while the distance to Italy is 52 kilometers. Anyway, quite exhausting for a day trip I went on with my family from Lastovo. The sea was rough, the boat was bobbing the whole time, and the captain says that in this weather it will take us about three hours. The children were sick already after an hour, and the sharp look coming from my wife spoke more than words.

Vela Palagruža is the largest island, in fact, a narrow gorge ridge in the east-west direction, mostly with inaccessible steep shores and two smaller sandy bays, Velo Žalo in the south and Stara Vlaka in the northwest. In the west it ends with cape Kapić, and in the east with cape Mondefust. A grandiose lighthouse was built on the island, which dominates the top. The island is 92 m high, 1400 m long, and 300 m wide.

Beach Velo Žalo, Photo: Adria.fun

After a pleasant swim, we decided to climb up to the lighthouse, from where there is a fantastic view in all directions. The lighthouse keeper’s first words when he saw us were: what fool brought you here, can’t he see that a storm is brewing?

First silence, then swallowing a dumpling, and then disbelief… It doesn’t seem so terrible to me, I say, and the lighthouse keeper just smiled at my words… My wife was in complete panic, and I admit that I didn’t feel okay with it because of my children. I lost my appetite immediately.

View from Palagruža, Photo: Adam Sporka

Nevertheless, Palagruža is wonderful, and worth every second of being there. Those smells, the view from the top, the harsh nature, and the uninterrupted blue sea are priceless experience. In my mind, I was already dreaming that we have to stay there for a few more days until the storm ends. And that sounded good to me.

However, the captain of the ship did not share the opinion of the lighthouse keeper, so in the afternoon, we headed towards Lastovo. The waves were even bigger than when we arrived, the children were vomiting, and I lost one towel, which was carried by the force of the wind and flew off the bow when I stood up. And yes, we arrived safely back…

I hope that I will go to Palagruža again soon, so when I get there, let the storm arrive and last at least seven days. 🙂